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Depth Over Distance: Travis Macy on Family, Identity & Redefining Success | EP13
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In this episode of What’s the Rusch, Rebecca reconnects with longtime friend and fellow endurance athlete Travis Macy. Known for his career in ultra-endurance racing, bestselling books (The Ultra Mindset and A Mile at a Time), and coaching, Travis brings a powerful story of transformation shaped by sport, fatherhood, concussion recovery, and caring for a parent with Alzheimer's.
Together, Rebecca and Travis reflect on two decades of friendship, racing, and the evolving meaning of success. They explore how legacy, grief, and deep love fuel purpose—how presence, not podiums, can be the true marker of achievement. Travis shares raw stories from his journey through burnout, concussion recovery, and the emotional terrain of navigating his father’s memory loss while raising kids of his own.
From redefining impact to embracing play, this conversation is a powerful reminder that life’s deepest challenges can also offer the most meaningful connections—and that being still can sometimes be the bravest move of all.
Transformative Insights
- Legacy Through Connection – Why Travis defines success not by accolades, but by the emotional depth of his relationships.
- Redefining Impact – The shift from measuring success by breadth (likes, downloads, podiums) to depth (personal meaning and contribution).
- Healing Through Storytelling – How writing, podcasting, and fiction helped Travis process grief and share his truth.
- Slowing Down to Speed Up – The unexpected clarity and growth that comes from rest, reflection, and nervous system regulation.
Vulnerable Moments
- Travis opens up about the emotional toll of his father’s Alzheimer’s and the grief of “losing someone while they’re still here.”
- He shares how concussion recovery forced him to stop, re-evaluate, and rebuild from the inside out.
- Rebecca and Travis exchange stories of personal loss—including Rebecca’s mother and father, and Travis’s beloved teammate Emma Roca—and how grief fuels their present-day purpose.
- Travis reveals his inner battle with perfectionism and how he’s learned to embrace nuance, playfulness, and uncertainty.
Practical Wisdom
- Impact Isn’t a Metric – How to reframe success in your career, sport, or creative work through personal resonance, not just reach.
- Navigating Identity Shifts – Tools for evolving from athlete to author, or competitor to coach, without losing your sense of self.
- Coaching with Heart – Why Travis emphasizes emotional intelligence and long-term growth over PRs and watts with his clients.
- Building Rituals for Presence – From stopping mid-run to take in the view to daily gratitude reflections, Travis shares practices that ground and restore.
Personal Growth
- Letting go of all-or-nothing thinking around athletic identity.
- Using nature, storytelling, and parenting as daily teachers.
- Discovering spiritual connection through plant medicine, meditation, and flow.
- Embracing midlife reinvention not as a crisis, but as an opportunity to build deeper meaning.
Links
- Travis Macy Website
- Books: A Mile at a Time & The Ultra Mindset
- Skimo Gold Podcast
- Travis Macy Show with Steven Kotler - Ep130
- Travis Macy Show with Mike Kloser - Ep24
- Brain Storm Podcast - Rebecca Rusch & Selene Yeager
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